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As Delivered On The Baptist Bible Hour
By Pastor Lasserre Bradley, Jr.
Originally Published by
THE NEW TESTAMENT BAPTIST CHURCH
4828 Vine Street
Cincinnati 17, Ohio
This copy produced by
GRACE BIBLE BAPTIST CHURCH
26080 Wax Rd.
FOREWORD
The messages in this booklet were first preached in the New Testament Baptist Church of Cincinnati, and then on the Baptist Bible Hour which was carried by seven radio stations. After many had requested copies of the message
May 1957
CONTENTS:
Total Depravity
Unconditional Election
Limited Atonement (Particular Redemption)
Irresistible Grace
Perseverance of the Saints (Final Perseverance)
Today, I am beginning a series of messages on "The Doctrines of Grace." Of course there is hardly a time that I stand in the pulpit but what I make reference to one or all of these doctrines; but, it shall be my purpose in t
What we call the five basic doctrines of God's sovereign grace are these: Total Depravity, Unconditional Election, Limited Atonement, Irresistible Grace, and Perseverance of the Saints. Notice that if you take the first letter from each of these statem
Those who ascribe to these five doctrines are called Calvinist. Mr. Calvin did not invent the doctrines, nor was he the first to preach them; for they have been preached by the true followers of Christ down through the ages, but in the study of Theolog
Our first message in this series is on, "Total Depravity." The text is Genesis 6:5, "And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually." That describe
I feel that it will be profitable before we enter into this message to read from the Philadelphia Confession of Faith. Sometimes those of us who preach the doctrines of grace are charged with preaching something new. But a look at this old Confession o
So we see that when I preach the doctrine of Total Depravity, I am preaching what Baptists believed in 1689; and I, shall proceed now to show you that I am preaching what is taught in the Word of God. Let us first consider,
WHAT IS MEANT BY DEPRAVITY
People sometimes get disturbed when they find that the term "Total Depravity" is not used in the Bible. But using this term is just an easy way to speak of this doctrine which is clearly taught in the Scriptures. For an example of this, we use the
Furthermore, when we say that men are depraved; we mean they are completely incapacitated in the spiritual realm. Man is described as being dead in sin and thus he has no ability whatever to perform anything acceptable to God. "And you hath he quick
And then by total depravity, we mean that since man is filled with wickedness and is devoid of spiritual life, he has no desire for God or His holiness. "There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God," says Romans 3:11.
I trust that you understand now what we mean by total depravity, and that brings us to consider,
WHAT PROOF WE HAVE OF MAN'S DEPRAVITY
First we see that man is depraved by birth. Romans 5:12 says, "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned." Adam stood as the head and repr
In Psalms 51:5 we read, "Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me." And in Psalms 58:3, "The wicked are estranged from the womb: they go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies." Some have the idea that
Secondly let us see that the will of man is depraved. Man likes to boast of having a free will, but his will is corrupt. He can will to do evil but not good, his will can take him down but not up. We could say that Niagara falls is free, but it is only
Next we learn that man is depraved in mind, heart, and affection. "Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God." (Rom. 8:7,8.
We do not mean that all men have committed all of these sins, but that these are all in our nature and that we are capable of them. One sin may exclude another, as a man filled with pride might be thus prohibited from adultery, or a man who is a dr
In the fourth place let us note that man's depraved nature is expressed in his every deed. "The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good. The LORD looked down from
Now let us look at Romans, chapter three, verse 10, "As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofita
WHAT THEN IS TO BE LEARNED FROM THESE FACTS
First let it be learned that there is nothing good in man by nature. All his righteousness is as filthy rags. All his boasted works stand for naught before the Holy One. The question is then asked, "How then can man be justified w
Secondly, learn that man is dead and blind and thus cannot comprehend spiritual things. Christ says He quickens whom He will, and the need of quickening reveals that one is dead. Paul writes that the gospel is hid to them that are lost for Satan has th
Thirdly, let it be learned that salvation could not possibly be founded on works or any movement of the human will. Romans 9:16 proclaims this fact, "So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy."
Let us also learn that regeneration is an absolute necessity if any live spiritually. "Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." (John 3:3.) "Being born a
Fifthly, and finally, let it be learned that there is no hope for any man apart from the sovereign grace which is given in Christ. If a man ever gets straight on this doctrine of depravity then he will have to believe the other doctrines of Calvinism.
Those awakened by the Spirit are brought to admit that these descriptions fit them. Sinner friend, if you feel that today I have spoken of your condition, that you are the worst sinner out of Hell, and if you are brought to admit that before God it is
As we continue our messages on the doctrines of grace, we speak today on "Unconditional Election." Our text is I Thessalonians 1:4, "Knowing, brethern beloved, your election of God." Let us then at the very beginning be convinced th
We shall look again at what the Philadelphia Confession of Faith says on this subject. We cannot give you the whole chapter, but a part of it says: "Although God knoweth whatsoever may or can come to pass, upon all supposed conditions, yet hath he not
"These angels and men thus predestinated and foreordained are particularly and unchangeably designed, and their number so certain and definite that it cannot be either increased or diminished. Those of mankind that are predestinated to life, God, ... h
"As God hath appointed the elect unto glory, so he hath, by the eternal and most free purpose of His will, foreordained all the means thereunto; wherefore they who are elected, being fallen in Adam are redeemed by Christ, are effectually called unto fa
ELECTION DEFINED
First we must explain what is meant by election. And in brief we shall say, election is a sovereign act of God whereby He chooses certain individuals, from the fallen race, to eternal life for the glory of His name. Let it be remembered that the wh
God would be just to cast every member of the human family into Hell, for each one is but a rebel against God. Man left to himself would choose nothing but sin, bringing eternal judgement upon himself. So it is only because of the choice of God that an
Notice it says, "he hath chosen us"; it was His choice, not ours. This choice was made before the foundation of the world and so it could not possibly be founded on anything in us. And note too, that He hath chosen us "in Christ." All
Verse five continues, "Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will." How were we predestinated? Was it according to man's free will? No, many wish it said that, but
Yes, God accepted the elect in Christ; and they, and no more shall be saved. The question is then immediately raised, "Why does God choose some, and pass others by leaving them to perish in their sin?" And to this we must give the answer of our Lord Hi
The end of this choice is to make a people like Christ for the praise of His name. He "...hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his
By unconditional election, we mean that the choice of God was not conditioned on anything within man. Since man was utterly sinful, there was nothing in him to attract the favor of God. Then too, the scriptures plainly declare that this choice is not b
ELECTION TAUGHT
Next, we will examine a number of passages dealing with this subject to see how election is taught in the Bible. Time will permit us to make only brief comments. Turn first of all to Nehemiah 9:7 "Thou art the LORD the God, who di
Look now at Matthew 20:16, "... many be called, but few chosen." Yea, many there be who hear the gospel audibly--that is, they hear the general call--but only few are chosen, and they only hear effectually by the Spirit. Coming now to John's gos
Verse 44 declares: "No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him," and then verse 65, "... Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father." No man has the desire
John 17:2 says, "As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him." How many shall receive eternal life? As many as the Father chose and gave to the Son. Verse six says, "I have m
Coming now to Acts 13:48 we read, "... and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed." They did not believe in order to be ordained to eternal life, but they believed because they were ordained to it. In our preaching we urge men to beli
Then in Romans chapter eight we have the various blessings of this great salvation brought to our view. "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did f
The entire ninth chapter of Romans will be helpful in studying the doctrine of election, but we wish to read verses 11 to 16. "(For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election
II Thessalonians 2:13 says, "But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth..." And the
Surely you can see from these many scriptures that unconditional election is taught in the Bible. Once the Spirit opens your heart to this truth, you will be able to see that it is taught from Genesis through Revelation. And though this doctrine st
One question which is asked frequently is, "Doesn't man have a choice?" To this we answer, man had a choice in the garden of Eden; but in Adam he chose sin and so lost his ability to choose good. Many times people will attempt to refute this doctrine b
ELECTION PROFITABLE
Having seen that election is a Bible doctrine, we shall further consider that election is profitable. "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable..."; and since election is taught in the Scriptures, it must be profitable. Fi
Secondly, we know the preaching of election is profitable because it puts man in the dust. You can't go to seed on preaching this truth because you can't exalt God too much and you can't put man low enough. We are made to see our own corruption, and co
Election is a most glorious display of God's love and mercy. God has determined before the foundation of the world to call out from the fallen race a people for His name, and in time Jesus Christ came from glory and died for these upon the cross-- rede
But some sinner may ask, "How can I know I am one of God's elect?" And I ask you, do you see yourself a sinner? Do you realize that God would be just to cast you into Hell? Do you have any desire for Christ? Do you long to be saved from sin? Oh, sinner
I am continuing our message on the doctrines of grace, this is the third in the series today. The subject is limited atonement or particular redemption. The text is found in John's gospel, Chapter 10 verse 15. "As the Fat
WHAT WAS THE PURPOSE OF THE DEATH OF CHRIST?
If we can get this straight in our thinking it will help us tremendously to understand the theme that is before us. We turn first of all to the book of Hebrews 10:9. "Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away
In the everlasting covenant, the covenant of grace, the Father chose a people, Christ promised to die for them, and the Spirit pledged himself to apply salvation to their hearts. In Isaiah 53, I wish we had time to read the whole chapter for it teaches
Furthermore we see that the purpose of the death of Christ was to save His people from their sins. That is clearly stated for us in Matthew 1:21. "And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from
Now in the third place, we see that the purpose of His death was to bring the elect unto glory. In John 17 we find the prayer of intercession made by the Lord Jesus; and we see in the second verse that as He prayed, "As thou hast given him power ove
Hebrews 12:2 says, "Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God." There was joy set before Christ
Now we read in the book of I Peter 3:18, once again revealing the purpose of His death and just notice the words of the scripture and see if you could possibly imagine that any other idea was in the minds of these that wrote under the inspiration of th
WHAT THE DEATH OF CHRIST ACCOMPLISHED
What was accomplished by His death upon the tree of the cross? We read in the first book of Peter 2:24, "Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by w
Next we find that He died for His sheep, and because of this none can be lost. In John 10:10 He says, "I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for th
Now back to the book of Hebrews Chapter 10. You know, if you'll just notice the language of the Scriptures as I read to you these verses, and just in your own private devotions notice how the Holy Spirit has inspired the writers to word the phrases con
The next thing that we see accomplished by the death of Christ, is that He reconciled His people to God. Could you imagine that all the world is reconciled to God? No, that is not so, for there are some who go to hell, and they are not reconciled to Go
In Hebrews 2:10 we learn that the purpose accomplished by His death was the bringing of many sons unto glory. "For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their sal
Now the third question that we wish to consider is this:
WHAT ARE THE OBJECTIONS TO THIS POSITION?
There are many who object to it, because it is the very heart of the gospel. This is the very heart of the doctrines of grace, and this is where so many rebel at that blessed truth that is taught in the Word of God. Well, there are many objections
I feel that the best way to understand this is to see what was actually accomplished by the death of Christ. We turn to the book of Revelation and we read there in the fifth chapter and the ninth verse. "And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art wo
Now in John 7:7 we find there the word "world" is used to distinguish unbelievers from believers. In John 12:9 the word "world" is used of a special people. Romans 11:15 uses it to distinguish Gentiles from Jews, and thus so in passages s
Finally, I want to read to you one more verse which is in the book of Romans, 8:34, and this is one of the plainest in all the Bible concerning particular redemption. He says, "Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is r
Oh, my friends, if Christ died no more for His people than the inhabitants of hell what hope have we? If Jesus died for Judas Iscariot as much as He died for you, what hope do you have of heaven? The death of Christ is the foundation of our Christian h
Today, I am bringing you the fourth in the series of messages on the doctrines of grace; and our subject is "Irresistible Grace." Psalms 110:3 is the text, "Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power." This verse amply expr
"This effectual call is of God's free and special grace alone, not from anything at all foreseen in man, nor from any power of agency in the creature, co-working with his special grace; the creature being wholly passive therein, being dead in sins and
We have already studied in this series that man is totally depraved, that God has elected a people according to His own sovereign pleasure, and that Christ died for the elect of God; now we shall see that salvation is then applied effectually to the he
WHAT IS MEANT BY IRRESISTIBLE GRACE
What do we mean when we use the term? First, we mean that the work of the Spirit in bringing men to Christ is always effectual. That is simple, but that is exactly what we mean. We turn to the Gospel of John and read to you from chapter 6 and verse
The call of God is not frustrated by the will of man; for if this were true, none would ever be saved. Since man's will is bound, he would never choose Christ. Since he loves sin by nature, he would never desire to be delivered from it. Thus if any are
Secondly, in answering this question of what is meant by irresistible grace, we mean that the Spirit is active and man is passive in the initial work of grace upon the soul. The sinner could not possibly raise himself from the dead. In Ephesians 2:1 th
HOW THIS TRUTH IS TAUGHT IN THE SCRIPTURES
By turning to Ezekiel 11:19, we see that God has determined to give a new heart to His people--His elect. "And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give
We read now John 5:25, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live." Note that all who hear--hear this call, hear the voice of the Spiri
Next we learn that those who are called effectually find the gospel to be most precious to their hearts. We look at I Corinthians 1:23, "But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness." I preach t
Let us now note that this truth is verified by the fact the Scriptures teach men are regenerated by the power of the Spirit. Jesus said, "Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God," and again, "That which is born of the fle
Now we read in Ephesians 1:19 of this mighty power of God which is manifest in the regeneration of sinners. "And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe." You see this power is not unto all men, but it is to usward wh
Ephesians 2:10 says, "For we are his workmanship." We are the clay; He is the potter. He hath made us, "created us in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." Does an object which is creat
Now I wish for us to notice, that wherever the call of the Spirit is referred to in the scriptures it is always spoken of as being effectual. Romans 1:6, "Among whom are ye also the called of Jesus Christ." You were called. That could not be und
Then there is a very glorious illustration of the truth that I am trying to preach given in the form of a parable given in Luke 15:3, "And he spake this parable unto them, saying, What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, dot
WHAT EXAMPLES DO WE HAVE OF THIS TRUTH?
In Nehemiah 9:7, the reference which is made to Abram says that God is not only the God who chose him, but broughtest him forth out of the Ur of Chaldees. In Matthew 9:9, we learn that there was a man sitting at the seat of customs by the name of M
WHAT ARE THE EVIDENCES OF THIS GRACE?
First it is a deep sense of sin. The apostle said I am the chiefest of sinners. If you have been brought to see that you are guilty, corrupt, and vile in the sight of God, and that He would do justice to cast you into the very pit of hell, this giv
A second evidence of it is this, a hunger for the bread of life. Matthew 5:6 says, "Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled." And too a willingness to receive Christ is a great evidence of this g
Another great evidence of this grace is the hearing ear and believing heart. These are definite evidences according to John 5:24, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and
And finally, that great evidence of this grace is holiness of life. He says in II Peter 1:10, "Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall." And so may
Our subject today is, "The Final Perseverance of the Saints." This is the last in the series of messages on the doctrines of grace, or the Five Points of Calvinism. As has been our custom, we shall look first at the old Bapt
We read now the text which is Job 17:9, "The righteous also shall hold on his way, and he that hath clean hands shall be stronger and stronger." I don't know of any better summary statement of the doctrine of perseverance than what we have in th
PERSEVERANCE REQUIRED
Perseverance is the only true mark which distinguish believers from false professors and so it is required of every one who shall finally be saved. "Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my d
Look now at John 15:5-6, "I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men
Then Matthew 10:22 declares, "...but he that endureth to the end shall be saved." Many have for a little season left the path of sin only to return to it again. Yea, many have for years been faithful in attending public worship and have been
Another passage which plainly shows that continuance in grace is the only true mark of discipleship is John 10:27, "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me." How are the sheep distinguished from the goats? The sheep hear His
Let us further note that perseverance is pressed upon us as a duty. We are commanded to hold on our way, to continue in grace. We have such a command in Acts 11:23, "he...exhorted them all, that with purpose of heart they should cleave unto the Lord
We turn now to Hebrews 10:22 and here we find one of the strongest discourses in the Bible on perseverance. "Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed wi
Now just one more verse before we pass to the next point. Jude, verse 20, "But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Ch
Next we wish to point out that perseverance is worked in us by the Holy Spirit. "Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ." (Phil. 1:6.) If the Spirit has begun
In Philippians 2:12-13 the Apostle says, "Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to w
This Scripture, as well as most of those that deal with perseverance, has frequently been used in an attempt to prove salvation by works. But the context clearly reveals that such an idea was the farthest from the Apostle's mind; for, we can only work
Furthermore, let us consider that the warnings of the Scriptures are used as a means to cause us to persevere. First we read Matthew 7:21, "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the w
Those whom the Lord cast from his presence were sincere in their profession and their works. In fact they may have heard many a sermon on perseverance; but, treated them as some of you treat this message today, saying, "He speaks of someone else."
In Romans 8:13 we find another of these grave warnings, "For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live." What weary pilgrim is not made to tremble by such words as thes
I must hasten and so can make very little comment on the next verses, but I wish to call your attention to several more passages which are given as warnings. "And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is f
There is nothing that will kill out pride and presumption like this blessed truth. We cannot stand and say, "I am one of God's elect, I am eternally secure"; for, as surely as we thought we were standing we would fall. The best evidence of our election
PERSEVERANCE PROMISED
This side of the truth is more widely preached than the other, so I shall only deal with it briefly. Reading Psalms 94:14, "For the LORD will not cast off his people, neither will he forsake his inheritance." During those dark hours when our
Jeremiah speaks of that everlasting covenant of grace and in so doing makes reference to this doctrine of perseverance. "And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; but I will put my fear
Christ said, "And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand." (Joh. 10:28.) This assures the perseverance of all His elect; but, it in no way relieves them of their responsibility
I Corinthians 1:8-9 speaks of Christ, "Who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ." And I Peter 1:5 says, "Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be re
PERSEVERANCE ILLUSTRATED
This doctrine is clearly illustrated in the parable of the sower. As you remember the sower went out sowing the seed. Some of it fell by the wayside, some on stony ground, some among thorns; and yet, some on good ground. The seed which fell by the
Now my friend, what shall be your response to this parable? Are you now applying it to some neighbor or friend? Oh, be not presumptuous. Rather cry out to your Lord for grace sufficient to hold on your way. If many have been deceived, if many have take
Another illustration of these things is found in II Peter 2:22, "But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire." If a dog has ea
Do you now see how well the text in Job expresses this doctrine. "The righteous also shall hold on his way." The righteous has all the warnings of God's Word to keep him in the way, to discourage him from turning back; yea, to keep him from pres
"Ye pilgrims of Zion, and chosen of God,
Whose spirits are filled with dismay,
Since ye have eternal redemption thro' blood,
Ye cannot but hold on your way.
As Jesus in covenant love did engage
A fulness of grace to display,
The powers of darkness in malice may rage,
The righteous shall hold on his way.
This truth, like its Author, eternal shall stand,
Though all things in nature decay;
Upheld by Jehovah's omnipotent hand,
The righteous shall hold on his way.
They may on the main of temptation be tossed,
Their sorrows may swell as the sea,
But none of the ransomed shall ever be lost,
The righteous shall hold on his way.
Surrounded with sorrows, temptations, and cares,
This truth with delight we survey,
And sing, as we pass through this valley of tears,
The righteous shall hold on his way."